The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for processing moving picture signals using flash memories. More particularly, the invention relates to a method an apparatus for processing moving picture signals on a real time basis using a time division technology and a multi-stage flash memory.
The flash memory is a non-volatile semiconductor memory in which stored data is preserved even if power applied to the memory is disconnected. Data is recorded on and reproduced from the flash memory in units of one byte or one page (which corresponds to 256 bytes or 264 bytes), using various control ports and input/output (I/O) ports of the flash memory.
When flash memories are used for a moving picture recording and reproducing apparatus in the prior art, one flash memory is selected from among a number of the flash memories to perform data input and output in units of one page (264 bytes). The rest of the flash memories are sequentially accessed to record or produce a moving picture signal in units of one page.
However such a conventional method cannot process moving picture signals on a real time basis because the flash memory access time is long for the data recording and reproducing operation.
For example, flash memory model No. KM29N1600 made by the Semiconductor Division of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, requires approximately 155.9 ns to reproduce one byte and about 1.14 .mu.s to record one byte when data is recorded and reproduced in units of one page. By contrast, it takes about 69.84 ns byte to process the composite video signal for moving picture signal on a real time basis. Thus, it is impossible to process a moving picture signal on a real time basis using a the above flash memory.